Review by: Michael Rack
Published: November 5, 2003

The legendary Castlevania series is approaching two decades of history, with offerings that span several generations of hardware. The beginning dates all the way back to Simon Belmont’s first quest, Vampire Killer on the MSX personal computer in 1986. However, due to a lack of interest in the MSX, the US remained largely unaware of Simon’s true birth. The collection whole-heartedly began its eternal life with the NES game Castlevania, appealing to a much broader audience, garnering attention on other platforms as well. Since then, a fountain of titles have showered the world with an enthralling blend of platforming, action and RPG gameplay, the latest being Castlevania: Lament of Innocence for the PS2. Instead of adhering to the side-scrolling 2D format of its predecessors, this release has taken a 3D approach, though this isn’t an entirely new development. The N64 held two Castlevania adventures which took a stab at entering the third dimension, but they were not well received. Has the hex finally been lifted, or will this installment remind fans more of the failures, rather than the successes of this long-running epic?

The storyline is not a continuation, but rather a prequel detailing how the confrontations between evil and the Belmonts began. It all starts with a noble knight named Leon Belmont, who fought heathens for the church along with his companion Mathias, a master tactician. Together they were invincible, and became well known across the land as the mightiest force the church has. Upon returning home from fierce combat, Mathias finds that his efforts to protect his people were in vain, as his mate Elizabetha died suddenly while he was away. He falls ill from grief and becomes bedridden, overcome with sadness.

One year later, Leon has maintained his company’s undefeated record without Mathias. However, monsters have encroached on his domain, yet the church will not allow him to battle the interlopers, citing the need to combat heathens in the east. Everything changes one night, when Mathias calls Leon to his sick-bed, and tells him that his fiancee Sara has been abducted by a vampire in a castle of darkness, located deep within a forbidden forest. Without hesitation, Leon relinquishes his title, and sets out to save her before he ends up like his friend, lamenting the loss of his betrothed.

Upon reaching the forest, Leon meets a friend of Mathias named Rinaldo, who keeps a shop there to aid those who would rise up against the evil within. The vampire allows his existence, only because he finds defeating hunters all the more sporting with his aid. Rinaldo confides in Leon, revealing that he and Mathias both have their hand in alchemy, a sacrilegious art. Leon decides that desperate times call for desperate measures, and he accepts a gift from the shopkeeper – an alchemic whip potent against the undead. He can’t afford to give them away, but the alchemist promises to keep plenty of potions and equipment on hand for Leon, should he need to return. In a final word of warning, it is revealed that finding the vampire won’t be so simple, as the door to his throne room is sealed by the essence of five unholy beings that will need to be defeated before Leon can even consider going after the lord himself.

With this knowledge in mind, you set off to invade the castle. You can enter any one of the five main areas from a hub just inside the castle gate, allowing you to explore all the levels in any order. Leon keeps track of previously explored areas with a map that you can access with the select button. Some special features are automatically noted, but you can also put a marker stone on the map to indicate special areas you may want to return to in the future. Within the dark rooms and winding hallways lie some hidden areas, and powerful items as well, which can only be found through careful examination.